A Florida teenage mother allegedly killed her baby by giving her formula mixed with what she thought was cocaine, so she could take a nap, police said.
However, it was not cocaine in the orange pill bottle; it was enough fentanyl to kill 10 people, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said during Thursday's press conference
First responders found the 10-month-old boy unconscious and without a pulse in the living room on June 26, the sheriff said. Their life-saving measures could not resuscitate the baby.
The mother, whose named was not released because of her age, allegedly told police a string of lies that investigators kept catching her in until she finally confessed, the sheriff said.
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The mom was tired and needed to rest, according to Leeper, who said that is not uncommon for any new mom.
"What's not normal is what the mother put in the baby's bottle to go to sleep," he said.
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After filling the bottle with formula, she allegedly grabbed an orange pill container from the bathroom and filled the baby bottle with what she thought was cocaine.
"She laid him down in his crib to go to sleep, and he never woke up," Leeper said. "Now who does that? What mother would do that? That's not normal. That's sick … Babies are the most vulnerable among us. They're dependent on us for everything."
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Leeper showed a Mickey Mouse bottle in an evidence bag that he said was found at the scene and tested.
The medical examiner's office said the baby died from fentanyl poisoning.
She was charged with aggravated manslaughter and possession of a controlled substance.
While she was being booked, Leeper said the mother told officers that she has not had her period in a while and might be pregnant again.
